


to serve and protect (your heart)

by tiniegyus



Series: & protect [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Changbin is a panicked gay, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Violence, Modern Royalty, chan and lix are very soft for him, there's gonna be cuddling it'll be great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-16 04:18:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17542544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniegyus/pseuds/tiniegyus
Summary: This didn’t stop him from laying in bed at night, dreaming about what it would be like to be able to reach for Felix’s hand and intertwine their fingers instead of having to wait for Felix to initiate. It didn’t stop him from wishing fervently that one day he’d be able to cradle Chan’s head in his hands and kiss him after the Crown Prince decided that ruffling Changbin’s hair was a good idea. With each passing day Changbin grew more and more fond of them and he had no desire (or idea how) to stop himself.Changbin just wanted to find a job, he never expected to find himself falling for not one, buttwomembers of the royal family.





	to serve and protect (your heart)

The moment he got the letter was the moment Changbin’s life changed forever.

 

He wasn’t expecting it. He’d applied on the off chance that he might actually get considered for the job, but he never in a million years thought he’d actually get it.

 

But there, in his slightly shaky hand, was a letter confirming that he’d gotten the job. He was the new bodyguard for the Crown Prince.

 

After a moment of shocked silence, he let out a cheer and threw himself half on the couch, half on his best friend, nearly kicking the bowl of popcorn out of Jisung’s hands. “What the fuck, Binnie?” Jisung groaned.

 

“I got the job, Sungie! I got the job!”

 

“What? Let me see!” Jisung snatched the letter out of Changbin’s hand and scanned it quickly. “Holy shit.”

 

“I know!”

 

“ _Holy shit,”_ Jisung said again. He looked up at Changbin with a wide grin. “Binnie! I’m so proud of you!”

 

Changbin smiled back happily. This was the first in a long line of failed job interviews that had gone well and it was by far the best one of the jobs he’d applied for. Full benefits, one day off per week, and a place of his own so that he could stop crashing on Jisung’s couch. “The letter says I start in two days.”

 

“I can’t believe you’ll get to meet the Crown Prince,” Jisung said dreamily. “Do you know what I would give to be in the same room as him, even for five minutes?”

 

Changbin slapped Jisung’s arm. “He’s engaged, you idiot.”

 

“A man can dream though, can’t he?” Jisung replied defensively. “And hey, have you seen the Duke? I wouldn’t have a problem if he wanted to join in.”

 

Changbin just groaned, too used to his friend’s talk about the Crown Prince, and too happy about his new job to reply. In the six months since he’d been discharged he hadn’t managed to find work, but now here was the job opportunity of all job opportunities landing neatly in his lap, catapulting him into the working world and off Jisung’s couch. He couldn’t wait.

 

\----------

 

The first day on a new job always causes anxiety, but Changbin had never been so nervous in his life.

 

He made sure to leave Jisung’s apartment fifteen minutes early, his suitcase containing all his worldly possessions the only thing he took with him. Jisung couldn’t come to the station with him because of work, so they said goodbye in the entryway his apartment. Jisung pulled Changbin into a tight hug and a murmured, “Good luck,” before Changbin left. He made sure not to look back as he walked away, knowing that if he did his nerves would most likely send him running back to the safety of the apartment.

 

When he finally made it to the palace, there was a man waiting for him at the staff entrance. He was frowning at his phone as he read something, but looked up upon hearing Changbin approach and smiled. “Seo Changbin? I’m Kim Woojin, Crown Prince Chan’s Chief of Staff. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

Changbin bowed. “It’s nice to meet you as well, sir. I look forward to working together!”

 

Woojin laughed. “Please, just call me Woojin. We’ll be working closely together to coordinate the schedules of His Royal Highness and his fiance with the different venues they have appearances at. We might as well be familiar with each other.”

 

“Of course,” Changbin replied with a forced smile. He didn’t agree that someone should be so informal with their superior right off the bat, but he was hardly going to cause a fuss on his first day. “In that case, I look forward to working with you, Woojin.”

 

“We’ve just got some papers to for you to sign, and then we’ll get you all moved in.” Woojin ushered him down the hall to a large office with a guard out front. “Oh, Changbin, this is Minho, my personal guard. Minho this is Changbin, he’s going to be guarding His Royal Highness from now on.”

 

Minho nodded and flashed Changbin a sunny smile. “Nice to meet you! Welcome to the palace! I’m outside Woojin’s door a lot, so if you ever need anything you know where to find me!”

 

“Now,” said Woojin, pulling out a file as he gestured for Changbin to take a seat, “a lot of things are already taken care of; as you know, the application process is a lengthy one. There’s only two things we have left that you need to sign. This,” here he slid a piece of paper across his desk to Changbin, “is your loyalty pledge. You know how in American movies about knights they have a big ceremony and swear their loyalty to the king? This is like that, only we’ve adapted it so it’s not so showy. By signing, you affirm that, until such a time as you are no longer a palace employee, you are entirely loyal to the Crown Prince and his fiance, that your entire purpose is to serve and protect them. It’s a little bit intense, but the oath has been standard since the Bang dynasty was founded, and no one has had a problem with it yet. This other document you need to sign is your non-disclosure agreement. It’s pretty standard as far as NDAs go - it just says that you won’t tell anyone anything that you hear the Crown Prince or his fiance say unless given express permission from me.”

 

“Seems simple enough,” Changbin replied, reading over both documents before signing them. “Is there anything else?”

 

“Nope! You’re all ready to go. I’ll take you to your room now to drop off your bag and then we’ll go meet your new charges.”

 

Changbin snorted. “You say charges like I’m babysitting them.”  


“Believe me,” Woojin said with a wry grin, “sometimes babysitting would be easier.”

 

_Oh dear,_ Changbin thought as Woojin led him through the palace. _What have I gotten myself into?_

 

“This is the Crown Prince’s wing,” Woojin announced as they walked through. “His office is here, as well as a private dining room for him and his fiance. There are as several rooms where they can entertain, as well as a meeting room. And this,” he stopped in front of a set of doors, “is your room.”

 

“I’m living in the Crown Prince’s wing?” Changbin asked, startled.

 

“Of course. In fact, the only other room on this hall is the Crown Prince’s room.” Woojin led him into the room. “That over there is the connecting door between your room and their Highness’s. You need to be able to have access to them at any time in case there’s an emergency. Don’t worry though; the door locks from your side so if you need privacy you can have it.”

 

“Just from my side?”

 

Woojin confirmed this with a nod. “You need to be able to get to them, they don’t necessarily need to be able to get to you. Don’t worry though; since they can’t lock the door they’ll just leave you a note when they want some privacy.”

 

“Right,” Changbin said, although he still felt a little uncomfortable with the idea that he had more liberty in this situation than his boss.

 

At that moment Woojin’s phone buzzed. “Perfect timing,” he remarked as he checked it. “They’re in his Royal Highness’s office; just set your suitcase down for now, you can unpack later.”

 

Changbin tried to regulate his breathing as he followed Woojin back down the hall. This was it. After this, there was no going back; for better or worse, he was the new bodyguard for the Crown Prince.

 

Woojin smiled reassuringly at Changbin, then knocked on the door. “Come in!” someone called from within.

 

As he pushed the door open Woojin said, “Your Royal Highness, Your Grace, allow me to introduce your new bodyguard, Seo Changbin.”

 

“Your Royal Highness, Your Grace,” Changbin said, bowing low. “I’m very honored to be working with you.”

 

“Please, stand up,” said the Crown Prince, amusement laced in his voice. When Changbin had straightened up he continued, “There’s no need to bow to us, Mr. Seo. We’re going to be getting very close; it will get tedious if you have to lower yourself everytime we meet.”

 

“Of course, sir,” Changbin replied, his eyes on the floor. He could feel a flush spreading across his face. _Good job, idiot_ , he scolded himself. _You’re making yourself look like an overeager fool on the first day._

 

Woojin cleared his throat. “If you don’t need me, sir, I’ll take my leave.”

 

“Of course, Woojin,” he said, dismissing him with a smile. “I think Felix and I can take it from here.”

 

The closing of the door sounded final and as it resonated through the room Changbin finally looked up and laid eyes on the couple.

 

The Crown Prince was sitting at his desk, his fiance standing behind him. The Prince’s hair was curled artfully, surrounding his face like a halo, while the Duke’s hair was down, his bangs sweeping across his forehead. Both were dressed fairly casually, in thick looking sweaters that probably cost more than Changbin’s entire wardrobe. They were beautiful, and together they looked picture perfect. Suddenly Changbin understood what Jisung had been talking about.                                                                                               

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Seo,” said the Duke. “I’m Lee Felix, and this is Bang Chan.”

 

“Yes, sir, I am aware of your names,” Changbin replied somewhat stiffly, unsure if sassing his bosses would get him in trouble. “And please, call me Changbin; we’re practically roommates, after all.”

 

Chan laughed. “Oh, I like you. Our last guard was too scared of us to provide any form of conversation at all, much less witty remarks. And please, call me Chan. Like you said,” he smirked, “we’re practically roommates.”

 

He wanted Changbin to call him Chan? The Crown Prince wanted to be addressed by his full name? Did Changbin dare?

 

Hell no.

 

“Sorry, Your Royal Highness, but I’m not comfortable with that.”

 

“You say that now, but I’m sure Felix will wear you down,” laughed Chan, throwing his fiance a fond look. Changbin turned to look at his other charge as well only to find him looking at Changbin with an exaggerated pout on his face.

 

Changbin felt something tug on his heartstrings the longer he looked at the Duke, but he maintained a straight face. “Good luck, sir.”

 

Felix immediately lost the pout, throwing his head back with a laugh. “Oh, I like him, Channie! Can we keep him?”

 

Changbin bristled at the notion that he was someone who could just be _kept_ , but Chan just chuckled fondly. “He literally lives in the room next door, sweetheart.” Turning his attention back to Changbin he said, “Did Woojin give you the full tour?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Perfect. I imagine he’ll get you a copy of your normal schedule soon. It’s pretty easy to follow. Either we’ll both be working in here, or we’ll be goofing off in the game room. Sometimes we like to take our work out to the gardens, but that’s the only aberration in our schedule that you might come across.”

 

“Sounds easy enough, sir.”

 

“Good.”

 

“You know,” Felix spoke up, “you can sit down if you want.”

 

Changbin frowned. “Forgive me if I’m not up to date on everything, but isn’t it policy that if a royal is standing, the staff stands?”

 

Felix rolled his eyes. “That’s archaic.”

 

“It’s policy.”

 

“Fine,” Felix replied, a petulant look on his face. “I’ll sit then.” And without further ado, he plopped himself down on Chan’s lap. Chan, to his credit, didn’t react, just circled his arms around Felix’s waist to secure him there.

 

Changbin fought to hold back a grin, instead raising an eyebrow skeptically. “That’s not exactly what I meant, sir.”

 

Chan laughed again. “You’ll learn quickly that Felix tends to do what he wants.”

 

“Maybe if you didn’t spoil me -”

 

“But you’re just so pretty when you blush, sweetheart,” Chan cooed, nuzzling his head in Felix’s shoulder.

 

“Stop it!” Felix whined, his face growing flushed.

 

_Oh,_ thought Changbin. _He_ is _pretty_.

 

Felix leveled a glare at him. “Well? Are you going to sit?”

 

Hurriedly Changbin sat in the chair across from the desk. “Is there anything in particular that you would like me to do on a regular basis, sirs?”  


“Please knock before you enter our room,” Chan said. “The last guard we had didn’t knock and walked in on Felix teaching me yoga. He thought we were having sex; I don’t think Felix is over the humiliation yet.”

 

Felix groaned and buried his head in Chan’s shoulder. “You promised never to bring that up again! And it wasn’t like I was the one who was moaning!”

 

“The human body is _not_ meant to bend like that, sweetheart. You can hardly blame me for a natural reaction to pain,” Chan argued.

 

As Chan and Felix lovingly bickered back and forth, Changbin sighed. This job was going to be _very_ interesting.

 

\----------                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

One thing that Changbin learned very early on in his life at the palace is that Chan and Felix were very touchy.

 

Not with him (thank god, he wasn’t a big fan of physical content with anyone other than Jisung), but anyone they’re comfortable with, and especially each other. It’s rare that they’re seen without Chan’s arm around Felix’s waist, or Felix latched onto Chan’s arm. Even outside of each other, the staff that they knew well are also roped into this. Considering the fact that the only staff that ever came to the Crown Prince’s wing are the ones they were close with, almost every person who set foot in their wing got hugged to death (or, in the case of a young man named Jaeyong who often brought the food, badgered with head rubs). Luckily, Changbin seemed to be outside of the consideration for this. That wasn’t on accident either; he may or may not have been doing his best to avoid any situations where he’d have to make physical contact with them.

 

Things didn’t change until the first attack.

 

It was a small incident that happened about two months into Changbin’s employment; a man with a knife had leapt out of the crowd at a charity opening that the royal family was attending. The man charged at Felix, the dagger raised above his head. It was almost too easy to take him out; all it took was throwing an arm out to block him and then pulling him into a headlock for all of thirty seconds before the police working the event arrived. The dagger clattered to the ground and was picked up by a supplementary member of the Secret Service. All in all, nothing noteworthy. It was, however, the first incident since Chan and Felix had announced their engagement, and certainly the first attack that Felix, as the Duke of a minor plot of inconsequential land, had ever experienced.

 

He ushered them into the gala, but swept them towards a side room. Felix looked white as a sheet; there was no way he was fit to be seen in public right now. As soon as the door shut behind them, Felix burst into tears and Changbin stood in the corner of the small lounge and watched as Chan pulled Felix into his arms, holding him close. “It’s okay,” he said comfortingly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Changbin took care of it; that man is gone now, alright?”

 

Felix let out another sob, but pulled away from Chan to hold a hand out to Changbin. “Thank you,” he said as Changbin hesitantly stepped forward and took his hand. Suddenly he pulled and Changbin found himself tugged downwards before Felix launched himself into his arms. Now it was _Changbin’s_ shoulder that he was crying on, Changbin’s embrace that he was finding comfort in, not that of his fiance. Changbin sat there stiffly, trying his best to soothe the crying boy as he waited for Chan to take his fiance back. However, instead he felt Chan shift and then strong arms were wrapped around both of them.

 

Changbin was sure his eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head, but he said nothing, simply let the two of them find comfort in his embrace. There was no way this was professional, but he was hardly going to be a dick about it.

 

After that, it was like the floodgates opened and suddenly he was included on the list of staff members that Chan and Felix would be touchy with. Chan was always more respectful about it, always hesitant to cross over Changbin’s boundaries, but Felix had no such restrictions, latching onto Changbin whenever he felt like it.

 

None of this was necessarily a problem, but it simply wasn’t professional, as much as he might enjoy their touch. At the end of the day, they were his bosses and he was just someone paid to look after them. Changbin was no stranger to physical displays of affection; his best friend, after all, was Jisung. Admittedly, he’d grown apart from a need for affection during his time in the military, but he’d been out for a year now and had spent much of that time living with said best friend. No longer starved for a gentle touch, there was no reason he shouldn’t reinstate a professional boundary with the Crown Prince and the Duke.

 

Everytime he opened his mouth to do so, however, an image of the pout that formed on Felix’s face when he didn’t get his way would flood his mind. Immediately, he’d resolve to wait until the next time his charges touched him to say anything, only to go through the same problem all over again. It was a vicious cycle, one he found himself caring about less and less as time passed.

 

That was the problem in all of this, the reason he had to distance himself before it was too late. Changbin had always been quick to fall in love and this time was no exception, but the difference between this situation and the boys he’d flirted with in high school was one that could not be ignored. Even if he felt himself being pulled towards Chan and Felix more and more every day, he simply couldn’t give in. Maybe if they weren’t royalty, he’d consider it, but as the circumstances stood nothing would ever come of indulging his feelings.

 

This didn’t stop him from laying in bed at night, dreaming about what it would be like to be able to reach for Felix’s hand and intertwine their fingers instead of having to wait for Felix to initiate. It didn’t stop him from wishing fervently that one day he’d be able to cradle Chan’s head in his hands and kiss him after the Crown Prince decided that ruffling Changbin’s hair was a good idea. With each passing day Changbin grew fond of them more and more and he had no desire (or idea how) to stop himself.

 

Once again, however, it took an attack, nearly ten months after the first, for things to change.

 

This time was a more public affair, and a much bigger deal. It was a red carpet movie premiere. Chan and Felix were invited as representatives of the royal family since the movie was about King Bang Jinyoo, Chan’s great-great-great grandfather. On paper, it was an easy operation. Changbin’s charges were going to be outside taking pictures for a maximum of thirty minutes, and then they were safe inside for the rest of the night.

 

Within ten minutes everything had gone to shit.

 

Later, Changbin would thank his lucky stars that his attention was diverted to the audience at the right time. If he’d still been staring at Felix and Chan he would never have noticed the gun in time.

 

Without hesitating he ran forward, screaming, “Get down!” In the next second he shoved Felix out of the way, right as a loud _bang!_ blasted through the air. Changbin barely had time to register that Felix was safely out of the way before he whipped out his own gun, taking aim and placing a bullet directly in the man’s forehead. As soon as he saw the event guards making their way towards the body, he turned to Felix and Chan. “Are you okay?” he demanded.

 

Both were staring at him, their faces white. The funny thing was, they weren’t looking at his face they were looking at… his chest? Following their gazes downward he noted with mild interest the bloodstain rapidly growing on his shirt. “Oh,” he said softly, suddenly registering the searing pain in his chest and shoulder, before looking back up at Felix and Chan. “Huh.” Then his vision darkened and he crumpled to the ground, the sound of Felix screaming his name the last thing he heard before there was simply nothing.

 

\----------

 

_“Dammit, he’s lost too much blood, we’re losing him!”_

 

\----------

 

_“Don’t you dare die, you asshole!”_

 

\----------

 

_“If you die on us I swear to god you’re fired.”_

 

\----------

 

Changbin woke up slowly.

 

His entire body was heavy and it took all of his effort, and nearly a full minute of attempts, to blink open his eyes. When he finally did it took another minute to focus his vision; when he finally did, however, he was shocked by what he saw.

 

He was laying in a hospital bed, but he wasn’t alone. Looking down he saw a someone sitting by his side, their hand clasped with his, as they snored softly. He couldn’t see their face, but he didn’t have to; he knew the feel of those hands in his. Changbin debated for a moment whether or not to wake Felix up, but ultimately decided against it, choosing to let him sleep. He knew that it must have been an emotional experience for the younger boy; Changbin remembered the first time he saw someone get shot, remembered the horror that had lanced through him at the sight of his friend collapsing to the ground. It was something he’d never wanted Felix to see, but now that he had Changbin knew it was his duty to do everything he could to help the boy recover, even if all he wanted right now was to see his smile.

 

After a great deal of struggle Changbin lifted his free hand to Felix’s head and began to gently run his fingers through his hair. Felix snuffled in his sleep and turned to face Changbin. He looked so peaceful like this and Changbin immediately knew he’d made the right call in letting him sleep.

 

There was the sound of a door sliding open and when Changbin looked up he saw Chan stepping in, his eyes on his phone. “Your Highness,” Changbin said, forcing the words out through his burning throat.

 

Chan’s eyes snapped up. “Changbin!” He rushed forward to the other side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

 

“I got shot, so shitty,” he replied, before falling into a coughing fit.

 

“Hang on, I’ve got you,” Chan said soothingly, grabbing a glass of water off of the side table and handing it to Changbin. As Changbin sipped from the straw Chan looked fondly down at Felix. “He’s refused to leave your side since we were allowed in. Barely let go of your hand either.”

 

“How long have I -”  


“The premiere was three days ago.”

 

Ok. Three days, that wasn’t so bad. Changbin had certainly had worse during his time in the military, and this was a much nicer hospital room than what he was used to. He voiced this to Chan who stared at him incredulously. “What?” Changbin asked.

 

“Changbin… You could have died,” Chan said softly. “We could have lost you.”

 

“I was just doing my job, sir. There’s no need to make such a fuss about it.”

 

“Your job does _not_ include dying for either of us,” Chan snapped. “If you ever pull something like that again you’re fired.”

 

“What?” Changbin stared at him in shock.

 

“You might consider your life a worthy trade for one of ours, but Felix and I consider you a friend and neither of us want to lose you. In fact, consider this a direct order from your Prince: you are _not_ allowed to save us at the expense of your own life. So if you pull a stunt like that again, I’ll have no choice but to fire you for disobeying direct orders.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Changbin replied, straight faced. Inside though, he was stifling a smile. As much as he tried to distance himself from Chan and Felix, it was still nice to hear that they cared so much for him.

 

Suddenly there was a groan and Chan and Changbin’s heads both whipped to look at Felix as the younger yawned, his eyes still closed. “Changbinnie, be quiet please, I’m trying to sleep.” Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he sat up. “Changbin?”

 

“Hello, sir,” he replied, squeezing Felix’s hand as best he could. “Sleep well?”

 

Felix's face split into a bright grin. “Changbin!” He launched himself forward, pulling Changbin into a tight hug.

 

“Fuck!” Changbin grunted. “Ow, sir, sir please -”

 

“Oh, sorry, sorry!” Felix’s arms were gone from around him in an instant, but he stayed close, taking up Changbin’s hand again. “How are you feeling? How long have you been awake? Can I get you anything? Food maybe? Or -”

 

“Felix, let him speak,” said Chan with a fond eye-roll.

 

“Right, sorry,” Felix replied, staring down at his and Changbin’s linked hands as a blush took over his face. “How are you feeling?”  


“Sore,” Changbin replied. “I’ve had worse though.”

 

“You have?” asked Chan sharply.

 

“I was in the military for seven years, of course I’ve had worse, sir.”

 

“Oh,” said Chan, flushing. “Right.”

 

“How long have you been awake?” Felix pouted. “You didn’t let me sleep forever, right?”

 

Changbin shook his head. “I just woke up, sir. Haven’t even seen a doctor yet.”

 

How Changbin would come to regret those words. Almost as soon as they were out of his mouth Felix freaked out, calling for a doctor immediately, all the while chastising both Changbin and Chan for not attending to Changbin’s health. Luckily, it didn’t take the doctor, a young looking man named Dr. Kim (“Seungmin, please”), long to look him over.

 

“You were very luck, Mr. Seo. All of the bullets missed your major arteries, even if it was just by a hair. If the one in your chest had been even a millimeter lower, you probably would have bled out before medical aid could have reached you. For the most part, though, you seem to be healing fairly quickly,” he said. “For someone with three bullet holes in him, you’re doing remarkably well, in fact. Although according to your record, it’s not the first time you’ve been shot, so I suppose that’s to be expected.”

 

“What am I looking at for a recovery time?” Changbin asked, ignoring the glances Felix and Chan exchanged at the news that he had been shot before.

 

Seungmin shrugged. “Definitely at least two weeks before we can even consider putting you in physical therapy. Probably another six months after you actually start PT before you can be considered fully up to par again.”  


“What about my job, when can I start working again?”

 

“Hmm,” Seungmin said. “At minimum? You can tentatively start following His Royal Highness and His Grace around on a daily basis after a month of PT, as long as you’re in the palace with other guards easily accessible. No working at events until at least after you’ve been cleared from therapy though.”

 

Changbin nodded. “Alright. I have somewhere I can go for a month and a half, so it shouldn’t be an issue -”

 

“Absolutely not!” Chan snapped.

 

Changbin frowned. “Sir?”

 

“You can stay in your room. You got hurt for us, the last thing we’re going to do is turn you out of the place where you live. Woojin can make arrangements for your temporary replacement to stay somewhere else.”

 

“Sir, I -”

 

“Changbin,” said Felix softly, staring up at him with big, round eyes. “Please let us take care of you.”

 

Well, how was Changbin supposed to say no to that?

 

\----------

 

Due to the fact that the room Changbin had woken up in was part of the hospital wing of the palace, he gets wheeled back to his room that day. Chan and Felix seem a little hesitant about it, but Seungmin insists that since the medical staff is less than a five minute walk away it’ll be okay.

 

Chan and Felix fuss over him like a pair of mother hens, no matter how many times he grumbles something about how he’s the one who’s supposed to take care of _them_. The first night especially, they did everything to make sure he was comfortable short of tucking him in.

 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” asked Felix. “Remember, we’re just a room away if you need anything -”

 

“Sir, I promise, I’m fine. We’ve been over this; I know what it takes to recover from a bullet wound. If I need anything, I’ll let anyone know.”

 

“Lixie, he’s probably tired. And you’ve been in his hospital room for the past three days, you need to come sleep on an actual bed, okay? Changbin will still be here in the morning.”

 

Felix sagged. “Okay. But if you need _anything_ -”

 

“Yes sir,” interrupted Changbin. “I’ll be sure to let you know. In fact, there’s something I need right now.”

 

“What is it? More water? Pillows? Do you need -”

 

“Sir,” he said gently, for once initiating contact and reaching out to take Felix’s hand. “I need you to go to bed.”

 

Felix laughed, staring down at their hands. “You two aren’t going to give it a rest, are you? Fine then. Goodnight, Changbin.”

 

“Goodnight, sir.”

 

Chan ushered Felix out of the room, stopping to shoot Changbin a grateful smile, before closing the door behind them, leaving Changbin to his thoughts. He sighed as soon as the door closed and pressed the button that sent a shot of morphine shooting through his IV line. “Fuck,” he muttered, settling back into the pillows. He hadn’t wanted Chan and Felix to see how bad the pain really was; the unfortunate side effect of this was that he was desperately in need of the numbness that was currently racing through his veins. As the morphine fully took effect, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

\----------

 

He was jostled awake a few hours later by the shifting of his bed. “What?” he asked, immediately snapping awake (an unfortunate side effect of his military time was his inability to sleep through any movement in his general vicinity). “Who’s there?”

 

There was a pause and then a soft, “Changbin?”  


“Sir?” He frowned and pressed the button to turn on the bedside lamp. “What are you doing here?”  


“I’m sorry, I - I had a nightmare. I couldn’t…” Felix looked down at his lap. “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

 

“Sir, what about His Royal Highness -”

 

“Please,” interrupted Felix, his voice breaking off on a sob. “Please, Changbin.”

 

Changbin felt his heart break at the sight of the tears beginning to spill down Felix’s cheeks and quickly scooted over as carefully as he could, lifting the blankets to allow Felix to slide under them. Immediately Felix curled up to next to him, slinging an arm around his waist and checking to make sure Changbin was okay, before leaning his head on his (thankfully non-injured) shoulder. Once Felix was settled Changbin turned the light back out and tried his best to get comfortable. Considering his boss and the man he was half in love with was currently tangling their legs together, it was not an easy task.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked Felix.

 

Felix didn’t answer at first, the only sound his labored breathing and occasional sniffles. Just when Changbin thought he wasn’t going to get anything from him, however, Felix began to speak. “We were at the premiere and you pushed me out of the way but instead of getting shot in the chest he hit you in the head and then you turned to me and Channie and you smiled, but half your head was missing and I could see your _brain_ but you just kept smiling and you said “I’d do anything for you, sirs” and then you just collapsed -” He stopped and buried his head in Changbin’s side. Changbin could feel his shirt growing wet as Felix began to sob loudly. “Binnie, I was so scared you weren’t going to make it, that he’d taken you from us.”

 

“Hey, shhh,” Changbin shushed him gently, slowly bringing up a hand to card through Felix’s hair, ignoring the pain shooting through his arm. “I’m here, I’m okay.”

 

“You were in the military, right? You’ve seen people get shot before?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“How do you deal with it? How do you stop seeing it everytime you close your eyes?” Felix leaned into Changbin’s hand, which was still in his hair. “It’s all I can see, Binnie. Everytime I close my eyes all I can see is the red growing on your shirt before you just fall to the ground. Does it ever stop?”

 

Changbin takes a while to think over his answer. “It doesn’t stop, no. I still have nightmares sometimes. But it gets easier. These days I have to be in a really bad mood for it to bother me too much. You’ll get better, I promise.”

 

“When was the first time you saw someone get shot?” asked Felix quietly. “If you’re okay with telling me.”

 

Again, Changbin took a moment to ponder his words. “It was about a year and a half ago. Up until that point, I’d been stationed at a base near the DMZ for all seven years of my military career. Tensions were always high, but there wasn’t any actual combat; the peace is too fragile for anyone to try anything. Then my division got switched to active duty. We got to Pakistan and then…” He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. “Three weeks after arriving a squad of five us were heading into a nearby town to get supplies. We were goofing off a bit, having fun. It wasn’t a serious mission, just a milk run. Anyway, we were near this cliff and all of a sudden there was a group of insurgents firing at us. Four of us ducked down behind a rock formation and fired back. But the fifth member of the squad…” he trailed off, trying to control his voice. Even a year on, this memory was a hard one to think about. “Hyunjin got hit, and the force propelled him backwards over the cliff.”

 

“Binnie…”

 

“We took down all the insurgents and then I scrambled down the cliff to Hyungjin while another member of my squad radioed for help. The cliff wasn’t the large, so he hadn’t been too injured, just hit his head on a rock. The bullet had struck him in his shoulder; it wasn’t too serious of a wound, even though he was it looked like he was bleeding a lot. He went to the hospital; he woke up; that’s when the problems began.”

 

“Binnie, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

 

Changbin just laughed bitterly. “Might as well, right? I’ve come this far.” He took a deep breath. “When he hit his head on the way down the cliff, Hyunjin lost his memory of the last nine years. He didn’t remember coming out to his parents or anything that followed, he just remembered the fact that he wasn’t openly gay. So when I tried to kiss him, my boyfriend of a year and a half, he freaked out. Someone overheard us and reported me. A week later I found myself dishonorably discharged for “performance reasons.” I’m just lucky that my CO had a soft spot for me and didn’t have me arrested for consensual rape.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Felix said softly.

 

“It’s ok. It’s been a year and a half; I’m over it now.”

 

“Still, that’s terrible. I know you’re not supposed to be in gay in the military, but -”

 

“You’re not supposed to be gay anywhere in this country,” Changbin replied. “That’s why you and the Crown Prince are so important. I know having so many people after you can be scary, especially for something as dumb as falling in love, but the two of you are going to change our country for the better. I know it.”

 

“When Chan is king, we’re going to make him get rid of the laws saying you can’t be gay in the military.”

 

“We, sir?”

 

“We,” replied Felix firmly. “Chan and I are very fond of you; we’re not letting you go anywhere.”

 

Changbin snorted “I doubt I’d want to go anywhere anyway. It took me six months to get this job; I don’t want to have to go job hunting again.”

 

“It took you six months?” Changbin could hear the frown in Felix’s voice.

 

“Please don’t want to hire someone who was dishonestly discharged from the military, sir.”

 

“Maybe Chan can get your record scrubbed.”

 

Changbin went to shrug but thought better of it when his shoulder screamed at him. “Maybe he can, maybe he can’t. I’m happy here, so it doesn’t really matter.”

 

They were both quiet for a while, so long that Changbin began to doze off. Right before he did, he heard Felix say, “Changbin?”

 

“Hmm?” he murmured quietly.

 

“I’m glad you’re happy here.”

 

\----------

 

“I can’t believe you got _shot_ ,” Jisung snapped. “I let you out of my sight for one year and you start throwing yourself in front of bullets!”

 

“It’s my job, Sungie,” He said gently, holding back laughter at the sight of the affronted pout on Jisung’s face.

 

“You should still be more careful, you asshole.” He softened and reached out for Changbin’s hand. “Binnie, you scared me. I had to find out from watching the news, and then I couldn’t get in contact with anyone, and _days_ passed.” His voice was soft. “Binnie, the only reason I didn’t think you were dead was because the palace released a report.”

 

Changbin squeezed Jisung’s hand. “I’m sorry, Sungie. I didn’t meant to scare you. I didn’t think, really. I just saw the gun and moved.”

 

“Changbin…”

 

“I just…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “All I could see in that moment was Hyunjin, the look on his face as he fell. Jisung, I can’t lose someone else, I can’t lose one of _them_.” His voice broke with a sob.

 

“Oh, Binnie,” the bed shifted as Jisung crawled on and curled up next to Changbin. “Are you in love with them?”

 

He shook his head. “No, not yet, but I’m much more fond of them than I should be. The other day I let his Grace ramble on for twenty minutes about some drama he likes. Twenty minutes, Sungie! I won’t even let _you_ do that.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Jisung said, pressing a kiss to Changbin’s forehead. “I’m here for you if you need me, though, you know that.”

 

“Thank you. I love you.”

 

“I love you too, you idiot. Just let me know next time you plan on getting shot, okay?”

 

\----------

 

When Felix said that him and Chan would take care of Changbin, he certainly meant it.

 

To some extent, Changbin had believed him, but he’d never thought that they would take their job this seriously. Helping him to clean and bandage the wounds, sitting by his bed all day to keep him company, even, once he was allowed to start physical therapy, doing the exercises with him to keep him company.

 

He told them that last one was unnecessary, but they just cracked jokes about building some muscle and joined him anyway.

 

Eventually, however, he was allowed to resume his normal day to day schedule (although the replacement guard they had gotten while he was injured was still on call, should anything happen). Chan and Felix protested that he should keep resting but he insisted, claiming he would go mad if they forced him to lay in bed for another day.

 

“Fine,” Chan had said stubbornly. “But you’re still going to be taking it easy, okay? We’re not letting you hurt yourself again.”

 

Somehow, Changbin had never thought that that would translate to _this_.

 

“You want me to _what_?” he asked incredulously.

 

“Sit with us!” Felix pouted. “Please?”

 

“Sir, you’re on a _date_ ,” Changbin replied. It was the one day a week that Chan and Felix reserved to go on lunch dates, rather than just grabbing a bite to eat while they worked. This week they were having a picnic in the gardens, something they did often when it was warm outside. Normally, Changbin would just stand off to the side, but today when he went to do so, Chan grabbed his wrist and asked him to sit. “I’m not going to interrupt your date.”

 

“We packed food for you though,” argued Chan. “And you have to be here anyway, you might as well sit.”

 

“Sir-”

 

“Please, Binnie?” Felix’s pout increased in intensity and Changbin knew he was fucked.

 

“Fine,” he sighed. “Just this once, though, okay?”

 

Really, he’d known he would give in since the beginning of the argument. No matter how unprofessional it was, he was weak as hell for Felix’s pout.

 

But, surely, one time wouldn’t kill him?

 

Except, despite this reasoning, for the next six months it just _kept happening_.

 

This varied from picnics where they’d ask him to sit with them, walks through the garden where Felix would grab his hand and refuse to let go, to the fucking cake testing for their upcoming wedding. Changbin was included in _everything_ and it was driving him mad. He was doing his best to put the impending nuptials out of his mind, he really was, but with little success, mostly due in part to the fact that he kept getting included in Chan and Felix’s dates.

 

He was sure, though, that once they got married they would back off and he would be able to retreat to his position as the silent watcher. He’d be able to get a handle on his feelings then.

 

The final straw came one night about two weeks before their wedding.

 

“Changbin!” Chan called, knocking on the door between their rooms.

 

“It’s open, sir,” he replied, not looking up from his book.

 

Chan peeked his head around the door and beamed. “Felix and I were going to watch a movie, do you want to join?”

 

“Thank you, sir, but I think I’ll leave the two of you be-”

 

“Please? It’s that one you recommended to us, the zombies on a train one? You know both of us scare really easily, so…”

 

So, Changbin ended up sitting between Chan and Felix on the couch in their room as both clutched tightly at him every time there was even so much as a hint of a zombie on screen. When the movie finished, Changbin stood up to go back to his room. However, he was immediately yanked back down.

 

“Oh no you don’t,” Felix growled. “You recommended that movie to us and made us go through that level of hell. You get to sit through a movie _we_ recommend now.”

 

Changbin internally groaned, although he refused to show any of it to Chan and Felix. It would be like showing weakness to the enemy. “Fine— I don’t see why that’s an issue?”

 

Chan and Felix exchanged glances and then looked at him with matching smirks. “Oh, you will,” Chan promised.

 

“I’m sure whatever you have in mind won’t be that bad, sir.”

 

Oh, he was wrong. He was _so_ wrong.

 

Fifteen minutes into a movie entitled ‘ _A Fairy in Daegu’,_ Changbin wanted to rip his hair out. A romcom? Of all things they could have picked? Chan and Felix kept shooting him smug glances, though, so he couldn’teven express his distaste for the movie, even if it was one of the worst things he’s seen in awhile. It was so bad, in fact, that he found himself nodding off part way through. He did his best to stay awake but eventually gave in, his head dropping to Felix’s shoulder as he fell asleep.

 

\----------

 

When he woke up, the first thing he registered before opening his eyes was warmth.

 

He grunted a little and snuggled back into the warmth behind him while simultaneously pulling whatever was in front of him closer. He was close to nodding off again, too, when suddenly the pillow he lay on shifted and someone behind him let out whined sleepily.

 

His eyes shot open and he found himself greeted with a sight he never in his wildest dreams imagined he’d see. Lying one on each side of him were Chan and Felix. And that wasn’t even the craziest part. No, the craziest part was that they were all in Chan and Felix’s bed.

 

He relaxed after a moment, once he got his bearings, even if he was still confused as to how they ended up in this situation. The more he relaxed, however, the more his mind drifted until he was close to dozing off again. Absentmindedly, he pressed a kiss to Felix’s forehead as the younger tightened his grip around Changbin and shuffled closer. _Isn’t this nice_ , he thought, _waking up with the people you love._

 

Wait.

 

What?

 

Immediately he was yanked back to his senses as the reality of what he’d just said hit him.

 

_Love_.

 

The thing he’d been shying away from, trying to deny, for at least a year was now out in the open and he knew there was no taking it back. He, Seo Changbin, was completely and irreparably in love with Lee Felix and Bang Chan, two people who were getting married in a little over two weeks.

 

Fuck.

 

Instantly, he knew he had to go. He gently wormed his way out of bed, wrapping Chan and Felix’s arms around each other as he crawled out. He almost made it out scot free too, when suddenly someone grabbed his wrist. “Changbin?” Felix muttered, looking at him with sleepy eyes. “Where’re you going?”

 

He cast his mind around desperately for an excuse before landing on “Just to the bathroom, sir. Go back to sleep.”

 

Felix nodded and curled back into Chan. “Mmkay. Hurry back.”

 

He hastily made his exit to his room, making sure to shut the door with care. As soon as it closed behind him he locked it and then darted for his closet, grabbing his suitcase. Quickly, Changbin began shoving his clothes in haphazardly, trying to be as quiet as possible, despite the speed with which he worked. Soon, everything was all packed, all of his worldly possessions back in the suitcase the same way they had been when he’d arrived. He took one last moment to look around the room.

 

Briefly, he considered looking in on Chan and Felix, just to say goodbye, but he knew that if he did he might never leave. So with one last, whispered _“Goodbye,”_ in the direction of their door, he turned and walked away.

 

\----------

 

When he got to Woojin’s office he was unsurprised to see the Chief of Staff still there, hard at work. Woojin was known throughout the palace as one of the hardest working people to ever exist, often pulling all-nighters until Minho forced him to go to bed. Changbin had been counting on this: on Woojin still being there at four in the morning, on being able to resign immediately.

 

He knocked at the door. “Come in!” he heard Woojin call.

 

“Woojin?” he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

 

“Changbin?” Woojin looked up from his paperwork and frowned. “What are you doing here so late?” Then his eyes zeroed in on the suitcase and he stood up abruptly. “Changbin, what are you doing?”

 

“I’m sorry,” he replied, “but something has come up. I hate to have to do this to you, but I’m resigning, effective immediately.”

 

“What?” Woojin stared at him, aghast. “What happened?”

 

Changbin shook his head. “I can’t tell you. But I’m leaving. And I’m not coming back.”

 

“You can’t just stay until after the wedding-”

 

“No!” He cleared his throat and flushed. “Sorry, just - no. I can’t.”

 

“Oh, Changbin,” Woojin said, understanding dawning in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s my fault,” Changbin replied. “But I can’t fix things here. I can’t - not as long as I stay.”

 

Woojin nodded and sat back down. “I understand. Your severance package was outlined in the contract, but I’ll do my best to see if I can’t get a little something extra sent your way. I’ll also send you a letter of recommendation for any jobs you might apply for. And I won’t let them have your phone number.”

 

Changbin sighed in relief. He hadn’t even thought of that. “Thank you.”

 

“Of course,” Woojin replied, standing up again and coming around the desk to give Changbin a hug. “Thank you for everything. Take care of yourself, okay?”

 

He nodded. “I will.”

 

\----------

 

Changbinknocked insistently on the door. He knew that Jisung would be mad at him, especially considering it was a little after five in the morning, but he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

 

“What the fuck is - Changbin?” Jisung swung the door open, full of anger, but immediately softening upon seeing his best friend. “Changbin, what are you doing here?”

 

“I quit my job,” he said hollowly. “I quit my job because I’m in love with them.”

 

“Oh, Binnie…” Jisung pulled Changbin into a hug as the full reality of what he’d done hit him and he began to sob. “Shh,” Jisung said soothingly as he rubbed Changbin’s back. “Shh, it’s okay, you’re okay.”

 

“Sungie? Who is it?” someone asked sleepily.

 

“It’s Changbin. Remember, I told you about him?”

 

The mysterious man appeared in the living room. He frowned. “Changbin? I thought he was working at the palace?”

 

“He was, it’s... complicated.” Jisung carded a hand through Changmin's hair. “Binnie, this is Jeongin, my boyfriend.”

 

“Oh,” Changbin said dully.

 

“It hasn’t been long, which is why I haven’t told you yet, but I was going to introduce you the next time you got a day off. Jeongin,” he turned to his boyfriend, “Changbin is in a bit of a rough place right now, and he’s not working at the palace any more. He’s going to be crashing here for a bit.”

 

“Ok,” replied Jeongin easily. “I’m going to go back to bed, give you two some time. It was nice meeting you, Changbin!”

 

He had far too much enthusiasm for this time in the morning.

 

Changbin mustered a weak smile, one that he knew wasn’t at all convincing. “You too, Jeongin.”

 

Once Jeongin had shut the door to Jisung’s room behind him Jisung pulled Changbin into the apartment and over to the couch. “What can I get for you, Binnie? Do you need anything?”

 

“Just… Just hold me?” he asked weakly. Instantly Jisung was there, pulling Changbin into his embrace as he began to cry again. Even though Changbin was upset, heartbroken, he immediately felt better. There was no place safer for him, at least right now, than in Jisung’s arms.

 

\----------

 

A week later, Changbin was lounging on Jisung’s couch, watching a movie while curled up in a blanket.

 

This had pretty much been his default position since showing up at Jisung’s, and he had no plans to change things anytime soon. He’s seen his bank account; between all of his paychecks, plus the severance package, he’d got enough money to theoretically survive for a year without a job.

 

Jisung and Jeongin had been saints in dealing with him. Especially the first few days, when all he did was just lay on the couch and stare at the ceiling. Despite the fact that _he_ was the one who called off the relationship, he felt heartbroken and simply had no energy to deal with anything other than his own emotions. He was slightly better now, but he still had a feeling he wasn’t going to be back to 100% for a long time.

 

Jisung had left the apartment about an hour ago, letting him know that Jeongin would be over by 6:00 to help make dinner. So, when there was a knock on the door, he just assumed that  Jeongin had forgotten his key (again).

 

Changbin shuffled to the door, still wrapped in his blanket. “Did you forget your key again -” he froze mid sentence as he stared at the two people outside his door in shock. “Oh.”

 

Chan and Felix were standing there hand-in-hand, staring at him with blank faces. “Hi,” Chan said softly. “Can we come in?”

 

“I-”

 

“Please, Changbin. Please, let us in,” added Felix, equally as soft.

 

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Changbin replied, trying to shield as much of his body with the door as possible. “I think you should go.”

 

“Changbin, please. We just want to talk.” Chan was looking at him with pleading eyes and Changbin quickly looked away.

 

“Like I said, I don’t think - Wait” Changbin frowned, his eyes roaming up and down the hall. “Where’s your guard?”  


“We don’t have one.”

 

“What?” He stared at them, aghast.

 

Felix shrugged. “They tried to give us a replacement, but we refused. So they tried someone else and we locked him in a closet. They didn’t try a third time.”

 

“So you’re just… here. In the city. With no protection?” His sadness was quickly falling away as his anger grew. “What do you think you’re doing?”

 

“We had to see you,” replied Chan. “Please, let us in. We promise we’ll call for a guard when we go back to the palace, if it makes you feel better. But until they get here, can’t we talk?”

 

Changbin sighed. “Fine,” he growled. “But don’t think this means anything. And you’d better explain why you would be _stupid_ enough not to let them assign you a guard.”

 

“Why would we want to have a guard if it’s not you?” Felix asked as they stepped inside.

 

“Well I would think that not dying would be a good reason, sir,” Changbin replied, making his way back to the couch and gathering up the pint of ice cream he’d been devouring before they arrived. “Call the palace and tell them to send someone. And tell them to hurry, I don’t want the two of you here any longer than you need to be.” Luckily, the kitchen wasn’t within view of the living room, so he took a moment to drop his guard and just breathe as he put the ice cream away. He was lucky that he was so angry with them, because if he wasn’t he might not be able to keep up the unbothered facade. “Now,” he said, exiting the kitchen and standing in front of them with his arms crossed, “What was so important that you were willing to come all the way here for?”

 

“You, obviously,” Chan said. “What else?”

 

“What do you mean, me?” Changbin asked.

 

There was an awkward beat of silence, then, “You left,” Felix said softly. “We went to sleep and you were there and then we woke up and you were gone and there wasn’t even a note, or something explaining what had happened, and Woojin refused to tell us anything, said he’d promised not to.”

 

“So we snuck into his office one night and accessed your records, found the place you had listed as your last address. Figured that was as good a place to start as any,” Chan added.

 

“So you broke into Woojin’s office, betraying his trust and my request of him, and then stalked me to my best friend’s apartment?”

 

“Well,” said Chan with a sheepish grin, “When you put it that way it sounds pretty bad.”

 

“Yeah it does,” Changbin replied. All the fire had left him, though, and so he just sighed. “Look, you can stay here until your guard shows up. Then, however, I want you to go back to the palace and I don’t want you to contact me again. I’m going to Jisung’s room.”

 

He turned to leave, but was stopped by someone throwing their arms around him in a back hug. “Please don’t go,” Felix whispered. “Please. I don’t know what we did to upset you, but we can fix it. We’ll do anything, just please come back.”

 

Changbin closed his eyes and tried not to lean into the hug. “It’s not anything you did, sir. I quit for myself. Now please, let me go.”

 

“No,” said Chan. Changbin and Felix’s heads both whipped to look at him. “No, we won’t let you go.”

 

“Sir -”

 

“No!” Chan said sharply. “Changbin, we are _not_ letting you go. We _love you.”_

 

Hold up...

 

“What?” Changbin asked in a small voice. “What are you saying?”

 

Chan stood up and strode in front of Changbin, sandwiching him between the Crown Prince and Felix. “I mean,” he said softly, cupping Changbin’s cheek, “That Felix and I are completely, totally, 100% in love with you.”

 

“No,” Changbin replied, shaking his head, “No, you’re lying, you’re just saying that to get me to come back to the palace -”

 

“He’s not.” Felix’s voice was a low rumble in Changbin’s ear. “We love you. Both of us.”

 

“How?” he asked. No, Changbin, don’t you dare cry, don’t you _dare_.

 

“How could we not?” Chan said with a small laugh. “How could we not fall in love with you?”

 

“But… The two of you -”

 

“It is possible for more than two people to date at once,” Felix said, pressing a light kiss to the back of Changbin’s neck. Changbin resisted the urge to shiver at the younger’s actions. “It’s possible for someone to have more than one love at the same time.”

 

“We can’t, though,” Changbin whispered. “Even… Even if I believed you, you’re the Crown Prince and his fiance. People aren’t accepting as it is, there’s no way they’d be okay with the two of you dating a third man. And anyway, you’re getting married in a week -”

 

“So?” Chan asked. “What’s a marriage but a signed piece of paper? That doesn’t matter; what matters is that Felix and I love each other. But we also love _you_.”

 

“Please,” Felix said, kissing Changbin’s neck again as if to ground him. “Please come home and let us prove it to you.”

 

“I can never go on a date in public with the two of you.”

 

Changbin felt Felix shrug. “All of our dates happen inside the palace anyway.”

 

“I’ll never be able to be anything other than your guard if we’re in public.”

 

“Please,” Chan scoffed. “I’m barely allowed to touch Felix in public because we might piss people off. Do you really think we care about what we are or aren’t allowed to do in public spaces?”

 

“I - I don’t-”

 

“Please, Changbin,” Felix said lowly. “You _deserve_ to be happy: let us make you happy.”

 

At last, he gave in, accepted his fate. “Okay.”

 

Instantly, a smile bloomed on Chan’s face. “Really?”

 

Changbin nodded. “Really. I’ll come back to the palace, sirs.”

 

“Ew,” Chan made a face. “Don’t call me that. You might be my bodyguard, but you’re also my boyfriend. I don’t think that sticking to titles is really necessary anymore.”

 

“But, sir -”

 

“Changbin,” Chan rubbed his thumb along Changbin’s lower lip. “Please. Call me by my name. Call _us_ by our names.”

 

Changbin swallowed nervously. “Chan. Felix. I’ll come home.” He took a shaky breath. “I love you.”

 

Chan smiled. “We love you, too.”

 

With that, he leaned in for a kiss, one Changbin gladly reciprocated. He felt like he could have kept kissing Chan forever - it was perfect, both an outpouring of unspoken emotions and a promise of all the love that lay in their futures. Even if the words hadn’t been said, Changbin would have known that Chan loved him after that kiss.

 

When they parted all Changbin could do was smile contentedly at the Prince. “Hi,” he said softly.

 

Chan chuckled. “Hello, love.”

 

“Hey, don’t I get a kiss?” Felix asked playfully. Changbin turned to look at him, finding a playful pout adorning Felix’s face.

 

“I don’t know, do you _want_ a kiss?” Changbin asked with a small smile.

 

Felix laughed, then gently cupped Changbin’s face with one hand. Pampered since birth, his palm was indescribably soft against the slight stubble forming on his jaw. “Channie stole my line, but I love you _so_ much, my Changbin. Our Changbin. I-”

 

He choked up a little on his words.

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Changbin said, brushing away a stray tear from the freckled face so close to his own. Then, he leant forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of Felix’s nose. “No tears for me, Felix,” he told him, wiping them away. “I love you far too much for that.”

 

Unable to resist any further, Changbin leaned in and kissed Felix, pouring everything into it, every unspoken word, every touch that had been held back from fear of rejection and of the unknown.

 

When they broke apart Changbin smiled contentedly as he leaned back into Chan’s embrace. “My Princes,” he said fondly.

 

Felix chuckled. “I’m not a prince. Not yet. But I _am_ yours, and I love you. My Changbin.”

 

“ _Our_ Changbin,” Chan corrected softly.

 

“Yes. Our Changbin,” Felix echoed his fiance’s words.

 

“ _And I’m yours_.”

**Author's Note:**

> this was a completely self-indulgent fluff fest, i hope you all like it
> 
> please leave kudos and comments i am starving and need to be fed
> 
> big thanks to @iridescentmusings for proofreading for me. go check out her fics, she's got some really good skz fics both finished and in the works!
> 
> if you want to talk to me anonymously you can use curiouscat.me/sunsmilehobi
> 
> follow me on twitter @tiniegyus


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